Fish-trap.



G. W. WILKERSON.

FISH TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.23, ms.

1, 146,9 1 1 Patented July 20, 1915.

Witnesses 4 Inventor GEORGE WASHINGTON WILKERSON, OLE ROGERSVILLE, MISSOURI.

FISH-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2c, 1915.

Application filed December 23, 1913; Serial N0.'808,=62.

. to provide a fish trap which may be disposed in a stream for catching or entrapping the fish, and which shall be pro vided with means-whereby the entrapped fish may be conveniently and readily brought to the surface and discharged onto the bank of the stream. j

It is also within the spirit of the present invention, to provide a fish trap of the nature indicated, embodying a unique assem-- blage of parts, to best carryout the results desired, and whereby the apparatus will be comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction, as well as being simple, convenient, practical and efficient in its use.

Viththe foregoing general objects out lined and with other objects in view, which will be apparent as vthe nature of the invention is better understood, the present invention resides 1n the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of con struction hereinafter described and claimed, it beingv understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what isclaimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention has been illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, wherein the figure .isa perspective view of the apparatus, asin use, portions being broken away, and the elevator section or cage being raised." y

In carrying out the present invention, there areemployed a plurality of series of cages or sections 1, which are disposed end to end, upon. the bed ofthe stream or body or water, each of thecages embodying a suitable frame 2 having the meshed wire or reticulated sides 3 and meshed wire or reticulated ends 1 attached thereto, as well as reticulated or fabric top and bottom. Any number of the cages or sections 1 may be employed, so that the same may extendfrom one bank ofthe stream to the other, if de sired.

Cooperating with the end cage or section 1, is an elevator cage or section 5 embodying a frame 2, similar to the cages or sections 1, having the reticulated sides 3 and ends 4: attached thereto, as well as a reticulated top.

The frames 2 of the cages or sections 1 are secured end to end, by means of links or other suitable coupling or fastening members 6 which permit of the ready attachment or detachment of the cages or sections 1, as is necessary or desirable.

. In order to properly guide the elevator cage 5 for vertical movements, a pair of vertical guide rods 7 are disposed adjoining the free end of theend cage or section 1, the lower ends of the guide rods 7 being preferably driven into the bed of the stream. The outer end of the elevator cage 5 is provided with eyes or loops 8 embracing the guide rods 7, whereby the elevator cage 5 will be constrained to move vertically to and from the free end of the end cage 1.

As a means for raising and lowering the elevator cage 5, there is provided a supporting frame including the spars or timbers 9 standing astride the guide bars 7 and endmost cages or sections 1, and having their lower ends engaging the bed of the stream, and a pair of spars or timbers 10 connected to the upper ends of the spars 9 and having their lower ends engaged to or supported upon the bank of the stream. A suitable winch or Windlass 11 is carried by the spars 10 so as to be readily accessibly from the bank of the stream, and a cable or chain 12 is connected to the Windlass, and is trained over a pulley or sheave 13 carried by the upper ends of the spars 9 and 10, the free end of the cable or chain 12 being attached to the top of the elevator cage 5.

t The bottom 14 of the elevator cage 5 is inclinedfrom the outer end to the inner end of the said cage, and the inner end of the said cage is provided with a doorway or opening 15, which is normally closed by a door 16 hinged to the frame of the cage 5 at the forward or inner end of the bottom 14 and at the lower end of the opening 15. A suitable latch 16 is provided at the upper end of the opening 15 for engaging the free end of the door 16 to normally hold the door closed. The bottom or chute 14: is inclined from the lower end of the opening '15 to a point below the inlet leader 20 of the cage 5. When the elevator cage is raised above the bank of the stream, the door 16 may be swung open so as to rest on a suitable platform 17 provided on the bank, the door 16 thus forming a continuation or extension of the bottom 1a, to serve as a chute for readily discharging the fish from out of the cage 5 onto the platform 17, as will be obvious.

The cages or sections 1 are disposed upon the bed of the stream, and are held stationary thereon, by means of anchors 18 connected to the frames of the cages 1 by means of chains, and extended upstream and engaged to the bed of the stream.

The sides 3 of the cages 1 are provided with inwardlyprojecting inlets or leaders 19, of tapered or frusto-pyramidal form, and which have their walls independent and yieldable, so as to readily permit the fish to pass through the inlets or leaders 19 into the cages, but preventing the escape of the fish, through the inlets 19, after the fish have once entered the cages 1. The outer end of each cage 1, or that end remote from the elevator cage 5, is provided witha similarinlet or leader 20, while the otherends of the cagesl are provided with openings registering with the inlets or leaders 20. Thus,-the fish may pass from one cageor section 1, to another, toward the elevator cage 5,but cannot passjrom one cage 1 to the other, away from the elevator cage 5, so that the fish will be constrained to approach the elevator cage 5, in passing from means of a vertically'moving door or gate 22 mounted between the guides or slideways23 carried by theinner end of theend cage 1. To permit the door or gate 22 to be opened and closed, a cord 24: is attached to the upper end of the door or gate 22 and is trained over an upper pulley or guide 25, so as to extend to the bank or shore of the stream.

In order to prevent the fish from passing above the stationarycages or sections 1, a net or seine 26 is preferably attached to the tops of the cages 1, and is provided at its upper or free edge with floats 27 for maintaining the net or seine 26 in position between the surface of the stream and the cages 1. Thus, the fish will be prevented from passing over the cages 1, and will thus be directed 'to pass through the 1eaders"19 to the'bottoms of the cages 1, and provided with weights 29, for causing the net or seine 28 to drop into any depressions or valleys in the bed of the stream, for preventing the fish from passing therethrough underneath thetrap; V

The operation and advantages of the present device, will be somewhat obvious from the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawing, Ordinarily, the elevator cage 5 will be lowered,iand the dooror gate 22 will be opened or raised by pulling the cord 21 and tying the same.- Thus, the fish in entering the stationary cages 1 and passing from' one cage to another, will finally pass into the elevator cage or confinement chamber 5. From timeto time, the elevator cage 5 may be raised by the operator or attendant, so that-the door 16 may be swung open to permitthe entrapped fish to be discharged onto the platform 17 on the bank 01 the stream. After the cage 5 has been emptied, the door 16 may be closed, and the said cage may again be lowered, to receive the fish from the stationary cages 1, it being observed that when the elevator cage is raised, the door 22 will be lowered or closed, so as to prevent the fish from escaping from the endmost cage 1, while the elevator cage is raised. 7 I

Having thus .described the invention, what 1 claim as new-is In a fish trap, a series ofstationary cages adapted-to be disposed end to end upon the bed of a body of waterand having inlets at their sides, means for coupling the ends of the cages together, an elevator-cage normally cooperating with the endmost stationary cage, the adjoiningends of all of the: cages having commumcating openings for the passage of fish from" one stationary cage to the other and finally into the elevator cage, means for raising the elevator cage, a net attached to the tops of the sta tionary cages and having floats at its upper edge, a net -attachedwto the bottom of the bed ofthe. body of water, andv anchors connected to the stationary cages to hold them in place upon the bed ofthe body of water.

stationary cages and having weights for dropplng "the :SaIIlQfilIltO depresslons 1n the In testimony that. I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoafiixed mywsignae ture m'the presenceiof two witnesses.

Copies of this patent'mey be obtained for five cents each; by addressingthe F Commissioner of Patents,

WashingtomD. Cl 1 i 

